


Grounded

by Area_Monarch



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Rewrite where Anya doesn't die because Anya is the best, Starts right before the Ring of Fire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:09:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3379316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Area_Monarch/pseuds/Area_Monarch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anya offers Clarke a deal in order to save her people from the 300 Grounders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Deal

**Author's Note:**

> It's such a creative name, I know. But it was all I could think of, and I wanted to post this today xD
> 
> Someone requested a Clarke/Anya/Lexa story, so here it is :D I love these three individually, so I'm pretty sure I'll love them even more together :)

The Grounders were surrounding the camp. The gunners were running out of bullets, and they'd barely hit anyone. The landmines only worked until they realized what was happening.

"We're going to die here," she heard someone whimper.

Then suddenly, the gunshots and chaos surrounding the camp stopped. Confusion carried over the radio. Bellamy demanded the status on each of the gunners, then of Clarke.

Then another voice carried over the radio.

"Clarke of the Sky People," Anya said, her voice sharp and dark and brought Clarke back to the day on the bridge. 

"How'd they get our radios?" a fearful voice demanded behind her.

"Murphy, that damned traitor. He had one."

"I'll kill him if I see him--"

"Shut up," Clarke snapped back at them, turning her attention towards the woods, trying to spot any movement. She pressed the button on her radio and said, "I'm here."

"This battle is not turning out well for you," Anya said, her tone almost amused. Or haughty. The blonde was too frozen in fear to distinguish the two.

"You haven't seen all our tricks," she said back, feigning confidence. 

"Of that we have no doubt. But you know that you won't survive. You may take out some of our soldiers, true. But more will come. Our Clan has thousands under its command, Clarke."

"Our people are coming down," Clarke reminded her testily. "They'll have more guns than us. As they're much better at using them."

"Believe me, Clarke. Our people are not afraid of your weapons. If anything, the attention you draw to yourself by using them puts you at risk." Clarke almost asked what she meant, but the voice continued. "So I am here to offer you a deal. Before you escaped me, I sent a rider telling the Commander of your ability as a healer. And the Commander has replied with an offer. If you come with us voluntarily, we will spare your people. We will not kill any more of them, unless they attack us."

"You want me to be your prisoner?" Clarke demanded incredulously.

She saw Bellamy crawl out of one of the hidden holes, striding over towards her quickly. "You can't do this," he said quietly, trying not to let the others hear. "It's a trap. They'll kill us anyway."

"If that is how you want to look at it," Anya said.

"Clarke, you can't do this," Bellamy hissed. "Tell me you won't."

Clarke raised the radio to her lips again. "And how do I know that you won't kill everyone, anyway?"

"I'm sending a horse to your gate, Clarke. You can either get on it, and spare your people, or you can watch them die as we take you, anyway."

"Get everyone inside," Clarke ordered, staring at the boy beside her. "Everyone. Even the gunners. Close the hatch. If you hear anyone outside... ignite the fuel."

"Clarke, you can't--"

"I have to," Clarke snapped back. "They won't hurt me. They need a healer."

"Clarke--"

The blonde ignored him, striding forward swiftly, leaving the dropship and standing in the yard in front of it.

"Everyone on the wall," she said through the radio. "Come back. Everyone get in the dropship."

Immediately people began to crawl through the hidden doors, rushing towards the ship. A few nodded towards her gravely, but no one said anything.

"Bellamy, close the doors."

"Clarke, we can fight them off," he insisted.

"For how long?" she demanded. "And how many more people are going to die? Close the damned door, Bellamy."

The boy didn't reply. But behind her, she heard the hiss of air as the door rose and closed. 

There was silence after that. The faintest rustle of the wind in the trees. A few birds calling out. But no voices.

"The horse is at the gate, Clarke," Anya's voice said in the crackle of the radio.

Taking a breath, she tried to calm her heartbeat.

Clarke stepped towards the gate, struggling to open the heavy weight alone, but ultimately succeeding. 

The brown horse was nibbling absently at a turf of grass, but looked up to give her a disinterested look.

The blonde swallowed as she tried to recall how one was supposed to mount a horse.

The stories spoke of bridles and saddles and footholds. Clarke strode forward slowly, trying not to frighten the animal. It snorted, as if amused, then returned to the grass.

She put her leg in one of the footholds and threw her arms around the neck, forcing herself onto the animal.

Immediately, Anya's voice snapped through the radio, a course string of words in their language that made the horse stand straight and begin to move away from the camp.

"Clarke, Raven managed to rig the radios. Only you can hear this, but don't respond. We'll find a way to get you out of this. Don't worry."

Bellamy's voice was sure, but Clarke knew there was no way it would work. Gritting her teeth, she held tightly to the horse, forcing herself not to hope.

The horse strode into a small clearing where a tent had been erected. Clarke saw a figure strapped to a tree, beaten bloody, and realized it was Murphy. She tried to feel nothing, insisted mentally that he was a traitor, but despite herself, she felt a pang of sympathy. And fear.

A hand reached out to stop the horse, and Clarke peered down at Anya, who was wearing a superior smirk.

"Clarke of the Sky People," she purred. "So good to see you again."

Clarke raised her chin, trying to display more confidence than she felt, and dismounted. Despite her efforts, the action was shaky and awkward, and she nearly fell on her back. Anya's hand gripped her quickly, and she whispered, "Best not show your weakness just yet, Sky girl."

The blonde grit her teeth but allowed herself to be lead into the tent. Anya reached down, grabbing Clarke's radio and setting it down on the table as they entered.

The man who'd attempted to kill her earlier was there--the one who'd confronted Anya.

"Call back your men so we can return," Anya said, beginning to bind Clarke's hands together with rope.

"We have the girl," the man grunted, eyeing the blonde scornfully. "Now it's time to finish this."

Anya paused, having completed her task. "What are you doing, Tristan? The Commander said--"

"The Commander said to do what we could to get the girl." He smirked. "And we have." He strode out of the tent and called loudly in the Grounder language.

"What's happening?" Clarke demanded, eyeing Anya's clenched jaw. "What's he saying?"

Tristan returned to the tent, a superior look on his face. "I hope you said your goodbyes, Sky girl. Your friends are dead."

"You said they'd be safe," she said, eyes widening. "You said if I came--"

"Anya said," Tristan snapped. "I am the general here. You should have gotten my word, scum."

"No, you can't do this," she rasped, struggling in Anya's girl grip, trying to get at him. "You can't _do_ this!"

"Stop," Anya snarled, kicking out her knees so that she was no longer standing, and forcing her to remain so.

Tristan strode over to her, smirking down. "This is a good position for you," he gloated. "One I'm sure you'll find yourself in more often."

"Anya," she begged. "You can't do this. You promised they'd be safe."

"I am outranked," the woman said flatly. "Be silent."

"No!" Clarke snarled, falling to the ground and rolling out of the Grounder's grasp.

While Anya lost her balance, Clarke leaped up and bolted to the table where the radio was. She leaned down, pressing the buttons in her bound hands and screamed, "They're coming, Bellamy!"

She couldn't say anything else before a hard blow to her temple made her crumble to the ground.

Anya stood above her, a snarl on her face. "You will regret that."

"Take her to the Commander," Tristan ordered. "I'll finish things here." He laughed darkly. "Perhaps I will even bring her the head of 'Bellamy'".

The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Anya's grim stare.

\---

Clarke awoke from a gentle swaying motion that was making her stomach rebel violently.

Groaning, she lurched to the side and vomited, trying and failing to get her bearings.

A waterskin was thrust into her face, and she drunk eagerly, rinsing her mouth of the acid and spitting it out before taking a few genuine chugs.

"Tristan hit your head," Anya's voice explained. They were on a horse, walking slowly through the forest. Anya's arms were around her, keeping her steady, as she stared straight ahead. "You have been unconscious for an hour. We will reach the village soon."

"You lied," Clarke spat, sitting up straight despite the protest from her body.

"I did not give the order," Anya snapped sharply.

"You said you'd let them live," Clarke argued.

The woman's jaw set and she refused to speak for a moment. "There was a noise," she said after a few minutes. "Like what happened to the bridge."

Clarke's eyes widened. "They did it," she whispered.

"You don't understand what you've done," Anya said grimly. "Even if your people survived our army... They have drawn a much worse enemy. You've made too much noise."

"What are you talking about?" Clarke asked, frowning. "Is your Commander going to send another attack?" Already, she began to work out a negotiation, trying to think of a way to save her people. She could blackmail them... refuse to heal their wounded unless they offered them true amnesty...

"Not us," the brunette whispered, turning to look behind them anxiously. "How is your head? Can you handle riding faster?"

Clarke frowned, turning in the saddle to look at the Grounder.

The woman's face was tense, nervous. Her jaw flexed every few seconds, and her eyes were scanning the forest.

"What are you afraid of?" Clarke whispered.

"You people don't understand what you've done," Anya whispered. "We need to hurry to the camp. They might... They might already be there. They'll need a healer."

\---

"Hey, Michael, come look at this."

The man rolled her chair to look into the monitor his coworker was pointing at. "What? It's an outsider."

"No, idiot. Look at the girl who's riding with her. Look at her clothes."

Michael frowned, staring more closely. The image shifted perspectives as another camera picked up their movement. "She looks like one of those kids," he realized. "The ones that fell."

"That's what I thought. You think she's one of them?"

"It can't hurt to send a team to pick her up. Can you tell the one out in the field to swing by... Where are they headed?"

"Looks like Tondc."

"Alright, tell them to swing there and grab her." Michael frowned. "And tell them to try and get some fresh ones. The doc is complaining that they're running low on harvests again."

\---

After a moment to be sure Clarke wasn't going to fall off the horse, Anya began to urge the animal faster. As soon as Clarke would get used to a speed, Anya took that as being able to go faster, until the forest around them was just a blur of green and brown.

After a few minutes of sprinting, she let the horse slow to a trot, and Clarke leaned backwards, groaning. "I'm going to be sick again."

"Are all Sky People this weak?" Anya asked dryly.

"This is the second time I've ever _seen_ a horse, let alone rode one," she replied, trying to add heat but ending up with a mild whine. "I doubt you'd do any better in zero gravity." The thought of Anya flailing around mid-air made the blonde smirk.

The trees parted and a huge monument appeared, causing Clarke to gasp.

It was a man sitting on a throne. The browned stone was shrouded in foliage and vines, but the man's gaze stared forward intently.

"What is that?" Clarke whispered.

"We are about to enter Tondc," Anya said. "Keep your eyes on the ground. Do not speak. The Commander should arrive tonight, or in the morning."

Clarke grit her teeth. "Why should I do anything you ask? We had a deal, and you broke it."

"Because you're smart. You know I'd hunt you down if you tried anything."

The blonde thought that over.

Her eyes trailed to the forest.

Anya was a Grounder. She would probably catch up to her immediately. But then again... Could she catch up to a horse?

Refusing to allow herself to rethink her plan, she jerked her head backwards, colliding roughly with the woman's chin.

While the Grounder was disorientated, Clarke roughly moved back, shoving her off the saddle, then grasping the reins and urging the horse forward quickly.

The animal took about ten steps before Anya shouted something in her language, halting it immediately.

"You think you can take _my_ horse from me?" Clarke heard the woman growl.

Throwing herself off the saddle, the blonde bolted for the forest.

After a few moment of running, she ducked behind a tree, hoping it might keep the Grounder from finding her.

Trying to ease her breathing towards silence, the girl looked around, trying to spot her pursuer.

She'd just begun to relax when a hand shot out from behind the tree and covered her mouth, stifling her scream.

Anya crept beside her, holding a hand to her own lips as if to beg silence. Once Clarke nodded slowly she removed her hands, but immediately grabbed the blonde and held her to her, preventing further escape.

"Someone is in these woods," she whispered. "Neither your people or mine."

"How do you know?" Clarke asked back quietly.

"They're too quiet to be yours," the woman said, lip curling distastefully. "And too loud to be mine."

"Who is it? Is it... The people you're afraid of?"

She expected the woman to snap at her. To claim she wasn't afraid. To insist that Grounders weren't weak like Clarke and her Sky People.

But Anya's eyes just darkened and scanned the forest.

She was so quiet that Clarke nearly missed the hiss that escaped her lips until a sharp twinge of pain made Clarke mimic it.

A small dart with a red tail stuck out of both of their arms.

"No," Anya whispered, throwing the missile away. She stood, drawing her sword, looking around frantically. Clarke had never seen anyone look so terrified before, and she'd lived through hell for two weeks.

"Anya, what's--" the blonde tried to ask, but her mind began to fog. "Is this... a sedative?"

Anya began to sway, but seemed to be holding off the tranq through sheer force of will. "I will not be taken," she hissed. "I will not become one of them."

But it was no use. Out of nowhere, another dart flew out and hit the Grounder in her neck, causing her to fall to her knees.

Clarke leaned against the tree, trying to fight off the panic that was growing in her stomach.

A man stepped out of the forest, striding towards them slowly.

Anya lurched over to her side, unable to hold herself up as he approached.

Clarke realized he was armed with a rifle, and adorned with what looked like a radiation suit.

He got within a few feet of him and Anya threw herself forward, sliding at him, but missing anything major.

His suit was rent at the knee, and the man screamed, falling forward and reaching into his pack.

Immediately, three more darts were shot into Anya, and the woman was unconscious before she finished falling to the ground.

Clarke managed to remain awake before seeing three more men rush forward to help their comrade.

She didn't have the time to ask them who they were, or what they wanted. Or if they were what Anya was so afraid of.

"Red Team to Mount Weather. Repeat, Red Team to Mount Weather. We've got the girl you asked for, and one for Harvest. One casualty. Can't risk entering Tondc. We're headed home, over."

Clarke's mouth opened, as if to question the strange words, but her mind blanked and her body went limp.


	2. Mountain

Mount Weather was, to be frank, perfect.

All of her friends were there, safe. At least... Most of them.

"Raven didn't make it," Bellamy had explained, shaking his head slightly. "They said that by the time a team got to us, she was already gone."

Despite their loss, the 100 still felt completely at ease in the mountain. Clarke had never seen so much food in one place before. She'd never been in clothes that didn't make her itch. She'd never heard the gentle melody so clearly as when the instruments were strummed right beside her.

But she also had never felt such a sense of foreboding in her life.

President Wallace laughed off her concerns, and attempted to buy her complacency with art supplies.

"Where is Anya?" she'd asked once, before she'd begun to play at being cowed into their games. 

He looked confused. "I don't think there was an Anya amongst your people, Clarke."

"She's a Grounder," Clarke had explained.

"Ah, I see. Don't worry about them, now, Clarke. You're safe."

That was all he'd said, and she hadn't pushed. 

Jasper and Monty began to distance themselves from her, insisting she was insane for questioning their hospitality.

Maybe she was insane. Maybe the things she'd heard before losing consciousness were just figments brought about by her paranoia.

But the injured, irradiated man she'd seen cured pushed aside all doubt.

It wasn't until she opened the door to the Grounder prison that she realized how badly she'd underestimated the situation.

"Their blood," she whispered, staring in shock at the man and woman hanging upside down like cattle as their blood lazily left their bodies. "They're healing themselves with..."

She heard weak moans, and walked towards the cages, looking inside, horrified. 

It was when she came to Anya's cage that her heart stopped.

She crouched to her level, whispering her name a few times until the woman looked at her, confusion giving way to recognition. 

"I'm going to get you out," Clarke vowed, leaving only for a moment to get rip off a bar to break the lock.

When the door began to open, she threw herself into the cage, trying to slow her heart's beat and her own ragged breaths. 

Beside her, Anya gripped her shirt, her body shaking slightly.

Clarke eased an arm around the woman, drawing her close as the Mountain doctor began to examine the caged prisoners.

Anya's movements were slow. Fluid. She'd clearly been drugged.

She clung to Clarke like a child, terrified of the doctor as she moved closer to their cage.

Finally, after a few tense moments, she left, and Anya relaxed.

"We need to leave," Clarke told her. "Let's go."

Anya frowned, looking around. "I won't leave my people," she whispered, the first words she'd spoken.

"You're no help to them as a prisoner. We can get your Commander. He can do something."

When Anya continued to shake her head, Clarke grit her teeth and forced the woman out of the cage, following her out and closing it behind her. "Let's go."

\---

After the chaos in the tunnels, her confrontation with the Reapers, and Anya saving her from the Mountain Men, Clarke tried to let herself calm down.

As they sat beside the river under the dam, she glanced over to where Anya's arm lay beside her.

"What's that?" she asked, pressing her fingers to the raised flesh.

Anya looked at it, confused for a moment. "I don't..." She frowned. "I must have been wounded."

Clarke pressed her finger against the bump gently. "I think they injected you with something... Maybe a tracker."

Anya immediately bared her teeth and rose her arm to her mouth, tearing the flesh.

Clarke looked at the bleeding wound in horror as the Grounder spat out a metallic cylinder.

"When I go back to that place," Anya said, her voice cold as she glared up at the dam. "It will be with my warriors at my back."

"Let's go," Clarke whispered. "We need to get away from here."

Anya narrowed her eyes at the blonde for a moment. Clarke thought that she was about to say something, but instead was shocked to find a stone making contact with her temple, causing her to crumble immediately.

\--

"Is this really necessary, Anya?" Clarke growled.

Anya had shaken her awake a few moments ago, forcing her awake and leading her by a makeshift rope that bound the blonde's hands tightly.

"I cannot return to the Commander without a prize," she growled, mostly to herself.

Clarke sighed, but allowed herself to be led through the woods.

After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "What is your Commander going to do?"

"Invade this mountain," Anya spat. "Destroy it. Kill the people." She shook her head, mouth curled into a snarl. "We will burn it to the ground for what they have done."

"How long have they been taking your people?" Clarke asked quietly.

"As long as we can remember," she said. "Before the clans... Long before I was born."

"You never fought back?"

Anya stopped walking and spun around, grabbing Clarke's collar and pushing her backwards until she made contact with a tree. "You think we don't try?" she hissed. "You think we haven't considered a war?" The woman grit her teeth. "Their mountain is guarded by Reapers. The fog protects them. They have eyes... _everywhere_. Do you suggest we are cowards for being unable to fight."

"I didn't mean it that way," Clarke whispered, letting out a breath when Anya let her go. "I just mean... They've been taking your people... Haven't you tried to get them back?"

"No one has ever escaped," she said. "No one knew what they were doing to them."

Clarke paused a moment, trying to decide what to do. "Let's hurry back to your Commander... I think I might have an idea."

Anya frowned, but nodded. 

\---

"Do you recall what I said of Tondc?" Anya asked as the monument of the man in his throne loomed over them. Anya was taking care to reknot Clarke's bindings, making sure they hadn't loosened.

"Don't talk, eyes on the ground," Clarke intoned abjectly. "You know, I did save your life. Can we do away these?"

"My people will expect a prisoner," Anya said quietly. 

Without another word, Anya tightened the rope and strode confidently away, dragging Clarke behind her when he hesitated a moment too long.

The village was bustling when they arrived. Men and women moved quickly, with purpose, and stopped to give them only a cursory glance.

A few seemed to recognize Anya, and looked shocked at her appearance, but no one stopped them until they reached the largest building in the camp.

The man guarding it grunted something out in the Grounder tongue, and Anya replied the same. After a few phrases spoken between the two, the man nodded and stepped aside.

Anya led Clarke down a staircase and toward a barred room.

"What the hell are you doing?" Clarke hissed when they approached. "Anya, Are you planning on leaving me down here?"

"I must report to the Commander," the woman said stiffly. "Someone will come to you when you are needed."

"Anya--" Clarke was cut off when the Grounder grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and threw her into the cell, closing and locking it before leaving.

"Damn it," Clarke hissed, kicking a stone that lay on the ground angrily.

\---

Anya made her way up the stairs and towards the Commander's room.

Lexa waited for her, standing above a table littered with maps and plans.

The girl looked up when she entered, relief flooding her face before it was masked by indifference. "Anya," she nodded. "I was afraid we'd lost you."

"I was captured by Mountain Men," the woman reported quietly.

Lexa's eyes widened and she turned to fully address the warrior. "Explain." The word was said with such measured apathy that Anya fought back a smile.

"I was returning from the battle with the healer, as ordered," she began. "But we were ambushed. Cla--The Sky girl released me from their prison and we escaped." She didn't mention how she had escaped, but then returned to save the Sky girl. Lexa didn't appreciate sympathy. Not anymore. 

"The healer... She is in the cells?"

Anya nodded sharply. "She claimed to have a plan on how to save our people from the Mountain."

Lexa's head snapped up at that. "Our peop--They are alive?"

"Those who are not turned into Reapers," Anya began slowly. "Are bled like animals." Her hand shook at the memory, and she clenched it into a fist in an effort to keep the weakness away from the Commander's gaze.

It was a lost cause, however, as Lexa stared down at the still-trembling limb, her gaze searching.

"The sky girl... Tell me about her."

Anya nodded and began to tell her former second of the interactions she'd had with the blonde.

"Tristan did _what_?" Lexa snapped once she'd mentioned Clarke's outburst.

"He sent his forces to attack their camp once Clarke was secured," Anya repeated. "He claimed your message did not prohibit it."

Lexa glared at the table, shaking her head slightly. "We sent warriors to their camp after the explosion," she began. "We found no survivors. We assumed the Sky people killed themselves along with you... We _assumed_ the healer denied our offer."

Anya felt a sudden urge to defend the blonde. "She agreed immediately," the woman said quietly. "She was very brave."

Lexa eyes searched Anya's expression intently before she nodded slowly. "Anya, I'm very... Very happy you returned."

Anya nodded, shifting on her feet. "Thank you Commander."

"Now," the younger woman said quickly, easing back into a solemn tone. "Tell me everything that happened in the Mountain. Then we will question the girl."

\---

Clarke had paced for the first fifteen minutes of her captivity, then resigned herself to sit against the wall facing the cell door for the rest.

Above her, through a vent, she could see Grounders, mostly children, peek in, whispering words she didn't understand.

She nearly didn't notice the two figures that approached.

Anya opened the door and a tall girl walked in, garbed entirely in armor.

"Clarke," the girl said, walking towards her before stopping a few feet away. "Anya has told me much about you."

"All good things, I hope," Clarke replied dryly, casting an irritated look at the woman who lagged behind. "I assume you're the Commander?"

The girl's lips rose at the corners before her expression returned to a blank slate. "I am. Anya told me you had a plan to rescue my people from the Mountain. Tell me."

" _Our_ people," Clarke corrected. "Mine were taken there, too."

The Commander looked confused, glancing at the Grounder behind her questioningly. "Anya did not mention your people were in the prison with her," she said.

"They weren't," Clarke explained, trying to come up with a diplomatic way to explain the situation. "They're not... prisoners, per say." The Commander rose an eyebrow. "They're more like... guests. But they don't know anything about your people!" She rushed to defend them. "They don't know anything about the Reapers or the priso--"

"They are in league with the Mountain Men?" The Commander asked coldly.

"They don't know what they're doing," Clarke insisted. "And if I'm right, then they're going to be killed next."

"What do you mean?"

"The Mountain Men wear suits," she explained. "Because they can't survive outside. Anya, remember when you cut his pants? You didn't actually cut him, but he was injured." Anya nodded slowly. "They use your people's blood to heal themselves," she explained. "Because your people can survive on the surface. But so can _mine_. It's only a matter of time before they're in cages, too."

The Grounder Commander didn't speak for a moment. She seemed to be digesting the information. "You claim to have a plan," she said slowly. "I will hear it. Anya, bring her."

Anya bowed her head and rushed forward to grab Clarke's still-bound hands, dragging her along with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've only got a few more oneshot prompts left, guys. Send me some more :)
> 
> Is anyone else fucking terrified about tonight? Because _I_ sure am!


	3. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm not updating Alliance this week, I'll be uploading this chapter, as well as another sometime soon. Probably Tuesday.

Clarke explained her plan. Or at least, most of it.

"We need someone inside," she began. "Someone from the Ark. I can go back. I'll convince them that I realized how dangerous it is out here, and that I want to be back. They'll let me in. They need me. If I know my people, they'll be raising hell that I'm gone."

"Why should we trust you?" Lexa asked. It wasn't an accusation, just a question. "You could simply join the Mountain Men."

"Why would I escape, and save Anya, just to go back there?" she asked.

Lexa paused, considering, before nodding sharply. "Monty, he's there. I can try and rig a radio or something and report back here. We'll try to lower their defenses from the inside, and when everything is ready, you can attack."

The Commander paused, considering. "This plan could work," she began. "But there are things that must be done, first."

"What do you mean?" Clarke asked, confused. "Every day we delay is more lives lost."

"We cannot fight a war on two fronts," Lexa said, straightening. "I need you to negotiate peace with your Sky People."

Clarke frowned. "There... There aren't many that aren't in the Mountain," she said.

Lexa paused, weighing Clarke's words. "More have come," she said eventually. "After the battle. A... _ship_ fell from the sky. Multiple ships. One has created a camp nearby. They have killed a few of my warriors, already. We have struck back in kind."

Clarke recalled Jasper's body, and shuddered. "I can talk to them," she promised. "They'll want peace. And they will help us defeat Mount Weather."

Lexa nodded. 

Anya spoke suddenly. "It might be wiser to send one of them in your stead. They know you as an enemy, now. If one of the Sky People went to them... They might be quicker to trust them." She turned to Lexa. "Clarke is an emissary, now. The ones who came from the sky... They do not seem as quick to words as she is."

"We will finish this plan after we have a treaty with the Sky People. Take Clarke back to her cell. Anya, we will ride to the command center and send word to the other leaders."

\---

Finn woke, his body quivering as he tried to gather himself.

He remembered Clarke leaving... He remembered her going to sacrifice herself to the Grounders...

He'd scaled down the hole in the wall Murphy had made, bolting into the forest. The Grounders seemed more concerned with getting to the ship to look out for any strays _leaving_ it.

He heard the explosion. He _felt_ it.

Waking up, he returned to an empty ship. To a ash-covered waste.

Raven and Murphy were inside, and Finn sat beside them, unsure of what to do. 

Then the soldiers from the Ark came, collected them and brought them to Camp "Jaha".

Abby was as desperate to find Clarke as he was. He, and a few of the remaining 100 who'd been too far from the Dropship, or unconscious when the order came in, went out in search.

They'd captured a Grounder with Clarke's father's watch. Demanded information. Finn killed him.

He stared at the body for a few moments, then turned to leave. But the imagine was burned into his memory. Burned into his thoughts.

He thought of how he and Clarke dreamed of peace. And how stupid of an idea it seemed, now.

He took Murphy, telling the others to return to Camp. They didn't seem to understand, but they didn't want to be anywhere near a Grounder camp.

Tondc. They found it. It looked innocent. It looked quaint.

But he wouldn't be fooled.

Murphy hesitated behind him. 

He didn't. He set fire to their stores. He gathered them in a carol. He demanded answer.

A few of them didn't seem to speak English, but he knew better. Lincoln didn't seem to speak English, either.

Finally, one spoke, "We do not have your friends," he said.

"Finn, we need to go," Murphy said desperately.

Finn shook his head wildly, holding the rifle straight towards the man who spoke. " _Where is she_?"

An old man jumped over the barricade, and all hell broke loose.

\---

Clarke heard gunfire and panicked. Her first thought was the Mountain Men.

But it didn't make sense. They'd use the gas, first. Then shoot systematically. These shots were sporadic. Wild.

With shaking hands, she shook the bars. "What's going on?" she called to the guard, who seemed torn on whether to leave his post or honor his command. "Is it Mountain Men?"

" _Where is she_?" 

The voice carried even into her cell.

"Finn," she whispered. Louder, she called, "Please, I know him. I can get him to stop."

She knew there weren't many warriors in the village. The Commander had taken them with her to the command center. 

Her guard looked torn, but when another scream tore through the air, he nodded. "If you run," he began. "I will kill you."

She nodded quickly, walking quickly out of the prison.

He hung behind, staying just in the doors as she exited into the village courtyard.

"Finn," she whispered, horror spreading across her face. Bodies littered the ground. A rifle was raised in his hands.

Behind him, Murphy looked to be in shock. His hands were raised to his head, shaking it as he too looked at the carnage.

Finn caught sight of her, and all at once, the bloodthirsty snarl was gone and a relieved grin took its place. Clarke's stomach rolled violently at the sudden shift.

"I knew you were here," he whispered, walking towards her.

"What have you done?" she whispered. "What have you _done_?"

That seemed to knock him out of whatever trance he'd fallen into. His jaw clenched, and his gaze fell to the ground. "I needed to find you. I... They took you."

"You need to get out of here, Finn," she whispered. Already, her guard was taking steps forward. His hand resting on his sword. "You need to leave."

A figure emerged from the woods, rushing forward quickly. Finn didn't look, he simply raised his rifle with practiced precision and shot.

Anya fell.

\---

"Were we wise to leave Tondc unprotected?" Anya inquired, riding beside Lexa. Her words were quiet, so as to not bring the attentions of the others. It would do no one good to hear her question her leader's choices.

"As far as anyone knows," Lexa began. "The village has nothing but civilians. Clarke is the only thing of value there, and only we know she is there."

Anya shifted. "Still... Any number of things could lead to her escape, or to someone realizing who she is."

"Do you not trust Nikolai?" Lexa asked, referring to the guard they'd left at the gate. "I gave him strict orders to keep her where she is."

"I have an uneasy feeling, Commander. Forgive me for questioning you."

Lexa didn't speak for a moment. Their pace wasn't hurried, and the gentle swaying of the horses was calming. Finally, she said, "I have enough warriors with me. You may return to Tondc and relieve Nikolai. You are right. It is foolish to leave a strategic resource so loosely guarded."

Anya nodded deeply. "I shall see you tomorrow, Commander."

Without any more pleasantries, she turned her horse around and urged it forward.

The pit in her stomach refused to dissipate.

\---

"Oh my god," Clarke whispered, taking a step forward.

Finn grabbed her shoulder, trying to keep her. "Clarke, let's go."

She ripped her hand away, taking a step away. "Murphy, get him out of here," Clarke called, turning towards Anya. "Don't stop running. Finn... Go to our place. Hide out." The words were whispered urgently. Anya was struggling to stand, and Clarke saw her guard begin to move forward cautiously, his knife poised to throw.

"I won't leave you, Clarke," Finn argued.

"I'm not a prisoner," Clarke snapped, shaking her head. "I'm here to try and make peace." Her gaze shifted to the bodies littering the ground. "Which you might have just destroyed. So _leave_. I need to fix this."

Finn seemed shocked, and the weight of his actions seemed to hit him. The rifle fell from his hands, the strap around his shoulders keeping it on his body.

"Go!" Clarke snapped.

Her guard rushed forward, his knife slipping out of his hands. Clarke stepped to the side, moving in front of the flying steel. It slipped into the flesh beside her right shoulder, and she cried out of shock. Her guard seemed surprised for a moment, giving Finn and Murphy enough time to clear the area.

"You can go after them," she grunted to her guard. "Or help me heal these people."

He glared at her, his gaze lifting to the retreating forms. Then he nodded sharply.

A Grounder, she'd later learn he was named Nyko, leaped had already leaped out of the corral--Clarke's stomach lurched when she saw the remaining people shivering within in. He began applying pressure to the wounds of a young boy. Clarke bolted over, falling to her knees to examine the injuries.

"Let me help. You're Commander brought me here to be a healer," she pleaded. The man glared at her, his lip curled upwards in a snarl, but he nodded. "Do you have anything to stop the bleeding?"

"Herbs," he growled. "In the healer's hut."

"Go get as many of them as you can." He nodded, and she moved her hands over the space his left. Turning to the people in the corral, she called, "Find anyone alive. Put pressure on their wounds."

"They do not know English, sky girl," Anya grunted. Her own gunshot wound was in her abdomen, but she still strode over as if it was a minor inconvenience. She turned to the Grounders and translated the words to their tongue. 

A few of them managed to overcome their shock and tend to those alive.

Nyko came back with a bag of herbs, applying them generously to the boy's wound.

"Turn him over," Clarke commanded once the bleeding was under control. Nyko frowned, and she explained, "We need to see if the bullet is still in him."

It took her three more victims before the Grounders stopped questioning her orders. Of the nineteen shot, she managed to save ten. Anya, unsurprisingly, was her most uncooperative patient.

It wasn't until she passed out from blood loss that Clarke could operate. 

Clarke guard stood beside her as she finished bandaging the general. He'd carried the woman to a cot in the Commander's building, and Clarke had tried to make her as comfortable as possible.

"I'll stay here," she said to the guard. "She might need something in the night."

He didn't argue, simply took up post beside them.

\---

In the morning, Anya was the one to wake her.

Clarke had slept in the chair beside her bed, there in case her condition changed. She must have fallen asleep in the night.

Anya kicked her legs, startling her awake. 

"Your people attacked us," she said, her voice seething.

Clarke's blood froze. "No," she tried to argue. "It was... Finn thought I was a prisoner. He was trying to save me."

"Then this crime falls onto your shoulders," Anya snarled. "When the Commander returns, your punishment will be named." Her eyes snapped to Clarke's guard. "Nikolai. Did you capture the murderer?"

The man grunted something in their language, looking almost ashamed.

Anya sneered. "Ordered around by a little girl," she hissed. 

Clarke saw sweat begin to bead on the Grounder's brow, and unconsciously leaned forward to wipe it off with her sleeve.

Anya recoiled, wincing as she did so.

"You'll reopen your stitches," Clarke cautioned. 

"Did you let this _branwada_ touch me?" she snapped at the guard. When he didn't respond, she growled, "Take the Sky Girl back to her cell." She turned to address the blonde. "If you weren't a prisoner before, you are one now."

Swallowing a useless protest, Clarke allowed herself to be led away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh noooooooes
> 
> Send me some prompts if you so desire, friends :)


	4. Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie, I completely forgot that I didn't upload this xD I am very worry about that.

Clarke paced her cell, trying desperately to think of a way to explain the situation to Lexa and Anya. _To myself_ , she thought grimly.

Finn... She'd never seen him like that. She'd never seen anyone like that, honestly. He's gunned down those people with no thought.

Her shoulder wound had been patched up as best she could. It wasn't particularly deep, as the blade had hit at an awkward angle, but it still made it difficult to move her arm effectively.

She turned towards a commotion, and began to walk towards the cell door.

"Back," a Grounder grunted, and she complied.

Two warriors came in with a prisoner, dragging him and shackling him to the wall.

" _Jaha_?" she asked, shocked.

"The Commander wants to see you," one of the men said, grabbing her shoulder.

"Clarke?" Jaha called, frowning.

"Is my mother ok?" she demanded, fighting the Grounder as best she could. "Is she here?"

The two men began to force her through the cell, but Jaha managed to call, "She's safe."

\---

Lexa paced slowly the confines of her room. Nine of her people were dead. Nine.

Though Anya hated to admit it, if Clarke hadn't been there, more would have joined them.

Innocents. They were children and elders.

Nikolai had been the only warrior in the village, and she'd ordered him not to leave Clarke unattended.

"Bring her," she ordered her warriors, finally stopping her strides to sit on her throne. She needed to feel powerful, for what was to come.

Anya had been ordered to stay in her tent for the time being. It wouldn't do well to have her anger cloud Lexa's judgment.

Clarke was lead in, and forced to kneel before her.

'Leave us," Lexa ordered, and her warriors complied, nodding respectfully.

"I didn't know he was coming," Clarke began once they were gone, her eyes desperate. For Lexa to believe her? For her to spare her life? The Commander was unsure. 

"He murdered nine of my people," the brunette began slowly. "He wounded ten. He put my people in a pen like livestock. And you defend him?"

Clarke looked down, ashamed. "The person that did that," she whispered. "That wasn't Finn. I've never seen... He was trying to save me." Her words were scattered, and the Commander paused, considering.

"Blood must answer blood," she intoned, causing the blonde to look up at her in shock. "We have captured one of your leaders. They claim to come in desire of peace. Kane, he called himself." She saw Clarke's eyes shine with recognition. "Nikolai said that you did not speak long with the murderer. Even if I am to believe what you say, there is no telling if he was sent here as an assassin rather than a rescuer."

"Let me talk to Kane," Clarke begged. "I'll figure out what happened."

"You're acting under the assumption that I trust you, Clarke." The girl froze. "I know that you know where the murderer is. Nikolai heard you order him away to a bunker in the woods." The Sky Girl looked down, her hands digging into her thighs. "Will you tell me where he is?"

"I can't do that," Clarke whispered. "You'll kill him."

"He is a murderer," the Commander pointed out frankly. "How are such crimes punished by your people?" It was a challenge, which the girl did not rise to.

"Punish me instead," Clarke offered, glancing up for a moment before her eyes retreated downward again. 

"We do not punish the innocent."

"Am I innocent?" Clarke laughed suddenly, her head shaking. "I burned your warriors alive, Lexa. I might not have pulled the trigger, but it was my plan." Lexa straightened in her throne. "I slit a man's throat."

"What is done in the throes of war is not the same as what was done yesterday. The crimes are not equal, Clarke," Lexa explained, her tone coming as close to gentle as it could. "Finn is guilty."

"He did it for _me_ ," Clarke insisted, her body shaking.

Lexa stood, striding towards the girl and making her stand. Despite Anya's protests, she believed her. Clarke was earnest, a unique and often fatal quality in this world. "Then he dies for you," she whispered.

The words were like a knife. Clarke's eyes widened in a pain Lexa knew well. Costia's death flitted through her mind, and she crushed the thought as she called for her warriors.

"Get Gustus," she ordered. "I have a charade for the Sky People." She glanced at Clarke. "Keep her here for now. I will return later."

\---

Clarke leaned against the wall of Lexa's room, trying not to think of what was going on in the cells below.

After an hour of silence, the door cracked open and a figure stumbled in.

Anya had been shot, but she stood proud as ever.

"I was told you would be here," she hissed. 

"How's your wound?" Clarke asked before she thought, wincing at the glare she received. 

"Every time I grow to trust you," the Grounder began. "You betray me." Clarke remained silent, sensing there was more the woman wanted to say. "Did you save me from the Mountain so that you could lead your assassin here?" The word was whispered. Ashamed.

Clarke's eyes shot up, her head shaking frantically. "God, Anya, _no_. I didn't even know if Finn was alive. I don't know how he knew I was here. And I didn't know he was capable of... _that_. I might not be your biggest fan, but I would _never_ be behind that. You have to believe me."

"The day after I bring you here, a massacre happens." Quieter, the Grounder whispered, "I brought this onto my people."

"Anya," Clarke said, standing, taking a quick step towards the woman, who recoiled, but didn't step away. "There was no way Finn could have known I was here." Her voice cracked as she finished the thought, "He would have killed those people anyway. Maybe more if I hadn't been here to stop him. He was searching blindly, and this was the first Grounder camp he saw."

"Not blindly," Anya grunted. "Nyko says a traitor told him of the village."

Clarke swallowed, closing her eyes and trying to erase the image of the bodies that littered the ground. "If I hadn't been here," Clarke whispered. "Finn might have killed everyone. He had the firepower. He had the motive." Her voice cracked at the word, because him motive was _her_.

Anya glanced upwards. "You were not in alliance with him?" she asked quietly. "You did not plan this attack?"

"When could I have?" Clarke laughed slightly. "I haven't spoken to him since before I left the drop ship."

"We tried for an alliance at the bridge, and your warrior killed two of my men," Anya said suddenly, eyes narrowed. "We trusted you to negotiate peace and alliance, and your 'Finn' kills nine. How many will die the next time I trust you?"

The Sky Girl paused, trying to come up with an answer that would be truthful and still appease the woman. "I'm not a leader, Anya," she whispered. "I've made mistakes. I didn't _choose_ this. The bridge... Maybe I shouldn't have asked Bellamy to bring guards. Maybe I could have stopped Finn sooner. But I can't do anything about that now. I can only try to stop it from happening again. But if your Commander kills Kane and Jaha, I can't do that. My people won't stand for it."

"Fear not for them," a new voice said suddenly, causing the two blondes to jump apart in shock. Clarke hadn't realized how close they'd become, only a foot apart. Anya straightened sharply, bowing her head.

"Heda," she intoned. "Forgive me. I wished to..." She trailed off, as if her words were unable to carry her desire.

"Worry not, Anya." Lexa strode over to the table beside her throne, pouring herself a glass of water. "Have you gained an opinion of the events? You saw more than I?" The brunette's eyes trailed slowly towards Clarke. "Is our Sky Girl guilty, as well?"

Anya paused, eyes raking over Clarke as she considered it. "I do not believe she knew of the assassin," she said finally.

Lexa's lip curled slightly, as if she hadn't doubted it. "And after being among the Sky Men in the cells, I do not believe they sent him, either. I have sent away 'Thelonius'. He bears a demand. They will turn over Finn or we will go to war."

Clarke's hands shook at the words, and she clasped them behind her back to hide it. She had no doubt her people would give him up. It was always their way to put the many above the few. She addressed the Commander, "What will him punishment be?"

Lexa nodded to Anya.

"He killed nine," the general said immediately. "He will suffer the pain of nine deaths."

Clarke clenched her eyes closed, trying to contain the tears that suddenly wished to fall.

"If my people don't give you Finn," Clarke said, clinging to a phantom hope. "You're going to go to war with them."

"Yes."

Clarke eyed the Commander, clenching her jaw. "You can't defeat the Mountain Men without our help."

Lexa stood slowly, striding towards the girl. She set her cup down gently on the table and paused to evaluate the blonde. "My people have lived under the shade of the Mountain for as long as we can remember," she whispered. "We know their rules. We know their evils. We lose nothing if we ignore an empty promise delivered on the wings of insult. If they give us Finn... We will consider pursuing a life free of the Mountain Men. But we will not trade one oppressor for new one."

"Shall I take her back to the cell?" Anya asked after a moment of silence, which had been sharpened by the unwavering stares shared between the Commander and the Sky Girl.

"No. I do not wish the two Sky People to converse freely yet. Take her back to your tent. Guard her. And have her tend to your wound. You hide it well, but there is no use disguising that type of wound."

Anya nodded woodenly, instinctively pressing her hand to her abdomen. She took Clarke's elbow and lead her out of the room, then out of the building.

The Grounders outside paused at their tasks, staring blatantly when they saw her.

A few glared openly, spitting out insults she didn't understand.

But a few looked at her in open admiration.

A small girl walked towards her slowly, on the side not occupied by a brooding Anya. She tugged at Clarke's sleeve and pressed a flower into her hand, speaking a few words before running away to the waiting arms of her mother.

"She thanked you," Anya said before she asked. "For saving her father."

Clarke stared at the ground until they entered a tent. It was large, with wooden beams holding the circular structure aloft. A bed was pressed to one side, a desk adjacent to it, and a chest opposing it.

Anya pushed her forward gently, not out of kindness, Clarke suspected, but because the motion elicited a grunt of pain.

"Let me check your wound," Clarke said, already heading towards the bed. Anya followed stiffly, sitting on the pallet and raising her shirt to uncover the wound.

Clarke knelt, setting the flower the girl had given her beside her knees, and turned to the woman's wound. The bandage wrapped around her stomach, and Clarke began to unravel it gently. 

"There is more on the desk," Anya grunted. "When you finish."

Once the wound was free, Clarke began to check for signs of infection, satisfied when she found none. "Have you been shot before?" she asked, hoping the woman had some sort of basis to gauge her pain. 

"Yes," Anya said stiffly. "Your man shot my arm."

Clarke sighed, biting her lip. Once she calmed herself, she began to ask the Grounder questions, hoping to ascertain whether there was any type of internal bleeding or organ damage.

Satisfied that there was none, she began to rebandage the wound.

"Why did you not run with Finn?" Anya asked quietly. "You could have been free."

"I might not be a doctor officially," Clarke said quietly. "But I'm not going to let myself become a person who lets people die when I can help them. Especially if they're innocent."

Her finger's sunk to the flower beside her, swallowing past her suddenly tight throat. 

Anya paused, then said, "Sleep here. I'll wake you if the Commander calls for us." She stood, moving to sit on the chair before her desk, looking pointedly at the bed. 

Clarke paused, then smiled faintly, nodding. The bed was firm, but the furs around it molded to her body, and she couldn't stop the low groan of pleasure. It'd been days since she'd been on a _bed_. Even the ones in Mount Weather or the Ark weren't as comfortable as this.

Anya looked like she was holding back a smile, but focused on some maps in front of her.

Clarke was asleep in moments, the exhaustion from the events catching up to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go, guys. They're at least warming up to one another.  
> In other news, my heart is shattered, my babies and sad, and Lexa is perfect despite the hard choices she has to make.
> 
> Don't hate on Lexa, is what I'm getting at. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll try to upload some mindnumbing fluff within the next hour/day/week/lifetime. (As I'm apparently really bad with deadlines)


	5. Sacrifice

Clarke woke to chanting. Loud. Persistent.

She could hardly make out the words, but the undercurrent of emotion made her shiver. 

Anya strode into the tent, garbed in black war paint and armor. "We're moving," she said grimly.

Outside the tent, hundreds of warriors littered the village. They were all moving as one towards a single goal. Camp Jaha.

Anya lifted Clarke onto a horse, leaping behind her, and steering the animal to follow the horde.

They rode in silence for what seemed like hours, the only noise the occasional uprising of chants by the warriors. Clarke tried to ignore them, tried to ignore her mind as it supplied the only other noise it could think of: Finn's inevitable screams.

Finally, Camp Jaha was in sight, and the army halted, their bloodthirsty call taken up with renewed vigor. 

A grounder came up to Anya as she dismounted, muttering a few words in their tongue.

The woman turned to Clarke, face impassive. "The Commander will see us, now."

She lead her through the army, towards the only erected tent in the clearing. Clarke glanced towards Camp Jaha, frowning when she saw the gathering of people behind the wall.

Anya strode confidently through the mass of warriors, and the Grounders made a path, spitting foreign and familiar words at Clarke as they did.

One made the mistake of grabbing her arm, and Anya reacted before she could cry out. The dagger imbedded itself in the wrist of the offender, and Anya snapped, "She is the Commander's the deal with. Mind your place."

Wrapping an arm around Clarke's side, she forced her to walk first, finally entering the stout tent.

There seemed to be some kind of war council, all standing around a model of Camp Jaha. As Clarke entered, she saw the men and women straighten, glaring at her.

Lexa, however, kept her eyes to the map. She muttered a few words in their language, nodding to herself, then standing.

"Clarke of the Sky People," she said, finally drawing her eyes to the blonde. "Come here."

Anya's grip on her forearm lingered for a moment before she released it, letting Clarke stride towards the young girl, chin tilted up stubbornly.

"My scouts say that Thelonius delivered my message," she said. "But there have been no sightings of Finn. Neither in their camp or in the woods. Tell me where he is, Clarke."

The blonde drew her eyes to the model, refusing to answer. The map was a fantastic representation, she had to admit. It looked as if someone had shrunk Ark and placed it before her.

"Clarke," the Commander's voice drew her out of her musings. "You know what we are capable of. You know what we have already done to your people for information." Murphy, broken, battered, and plagued, flew through her mind. "Do not make me do that to you."

"I won't betray my people," Clarke whispered, keeping her eyes trained on the map. 

"Leave us," Lexa ordered, casting her gaze across the tent. "Anya, you may stay."

Without question, the warriors left, leaving Clarke with an uneasy feeling. The unquestionable loyalty was... troubling.

"You say you will not betray your people," Lexa whispered when the three were alone. "But you betray them now. You will sentence all of them to die in order to save one boy."

Clarke grit her teeth, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. There was logic in her argument, but the blonde refused to allow herself to see it.

"Clarke," Anya cut in. "You have seen our warriors. The ones outside are just a fraction of what we have." A pause. "But it's more than that. Think of what we could do as allies? Your people would not starve in the winter. They would be safe from invasion. Together, we could save both of our people from Mount Weather. But we cannot do that with this blood between us."

"So you want to spill more," Clarke hissed. "I'm not going to let you torture him."

There was a pause, and Clarke saw the two women exchange a glance.

"You care about him," Lexa noted, no question in her tone.

Clarke flinched. "I care about all of them."

"No, you care only for him. Otherwise, you would see the logi--" Lexa cut the bitter sentence off sharply. She sighed. "I cared for someone once, too, Clarke. But you must understand that the duty to your people means more than the duty to an individual."

The blonde opened her mouth to argue when a Grounder burst into the room.

"Forgive me, Heda," he said, panting. "The murderer has been captured."

Clarke felt her blood go cold as the atmosphere grew even tenser than before.

"Thank you," Lexa said calmly. "Restrain him. The judgment will take place soon."

"There's something else," the warrior said. Lexa raised an eyebrow. "The Sky leader gave us the boy, but she demands the Sky girl be returned."

Lexa nodded, motioning for him to leave. "It seems your people are more wise than you, Clarke." The words were cutting, but the blonde didn't even have the energy to flinch. Her people had sacrificed Finn. For her.

Finn had murdered for her. Been betrayed for her. And he would now die for her.

"Anya, take a party to the Sky camp. Take Clarke." There was a pause. "She does not need to be here for this."

"No," the blonde rasped. "He's dying for me. I can't leave him alone."

"He is dying," Lexa said gravely. "Because he murdered innocents. He can blame no one but himself." A pause. "Besides, it will be a show of good will between our people. You will return when your leader sends a council." She glanced over at her. "I will not negotiate a war on the Mountain without you there, Clarke. I doubt their motives, but I do not doubt yours." She nodded to Anya.

The warrior grabbed Clarke's elbow, leading her out of the tent. 

She didn't see Finn. But there was a new tent erected by the time she'd left, and the Grounders were gathered around it. It didn't take a genius to know what was inside. The chanting from before was back, stabbing into the air around them.

Anya barked orders, and a few of the warriors turned around, shocked, but nodding.

Horses were saddled, Clarke was shoved into one, and they were led away from camp by the woman.

The gates of Camp Jaha were lined with guards, their rifles trained on the warriors.

Anya nodded back to Clarke, who dismounted.

"Someone get the Chancellor," one of the soldiers called, and there was a moment of awkward silence.

Finally, after a few moments, a familiar figure broke the line of guards.

"Mom?" Clarke whispered, shocked. 

"Open this gate," Abby ordered sharply, not taking her eyes off the blonde, the gaze trailing up and down quickly, trying to assess any damage. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

Before the gate could open fully, the woman had snaked around it, drawing Clarke's body to her quickly, whispering, "I thought you were... I was so..."

"You're the Chancellor?" Clarke whispered quietly.

Abby nodded in her hair. "Kane left me in charge. Oh god, _Kane_. Is he still with them? Did you see him?"

"He is safe," Anya's voice cut through their reunion. "He will be released once justice is served to the murderer." 

The words cut through Clarke's joy at seeing her mother. Startled, she stumbled back. "You gave them Finn," she accused.

Abby's eyes tightened painfully, looking ashamed for a moment. "I had to think of our people."

"You weren't thinking of our _people_ ," Clarke snapped. "You were thinking of _me_. How could you? Do you know what they're going to do to him?"

"I know what they were going to do to us," Abby said, frowning. "And I didn't force him to do anything. He volunteered. He traded himself."

Clarke swallowed, shaking her head. "I can't believe you let him do that."

Anya again cut in. "My Commander wishes for us to remain here until the sentence is carried out. Then we will speak of the war."

"War?" Abby balked. "What war? You said that this would be over when we gave you Finn!"

"Not the war with the Grounders," Clarke said, forcing her composure back into place. "Mount Weather."

Abby frowned. "What... Come inside. You can explain everything."

Clarke glanced back, towards the forest.

Without a word, she allowed herself to lead into the fence, the Grounders behind her. 

\---

Raven was alive. 

She was broken and battered, but _alive_.

She was alive, but she was also dead.

"Save him," she begged once Clarke came into view, her eyes red, her grip strong, and her body shaking.

"I don't think I can," Clarke whispered.

"He did it for you," the mechanic spat. "He left here to save you. He said he was going to find you. And when he came back, he said you wouldn't leave them."

"He _killed_ nine people," Clarke said, her tone pleading. Begging Raven to understand. "I couldn't let them die."

"But you'll let him?"

The injured girl took a few awkward steps back, leading far into her crutch as she refused to break Clarke's gaze. "Then you're worse than them." Her chin jutted towards the Grounders chanting faintly by the forest. "Don't talk to me."

Abby had stayed back to allow the girls their reunion, but at Raven's sharp words, she rejoined her daughter's side. "She's mourning," she said, shifting awkwardly. "She'll understand eventually."

 _No she won't,_ Clarke thought. _Because I don't think I understand._

Explaining the situation of Mount Weather to the Council was surprisingly similar to beating a head against a wall.

"We can't go to war over forty people," a few members noted, shaking their heads. And though they didn't say it, there was the clear thought that those _kids_ were just _criminals_ anyway.

"We were promised this alliance would help us take down Mount Weather," Anya said stiffly, glaring at each of the members.

"Clarke might have had sway with the kids," one of the councilors scoffed. "But she doesn't have any here."

"If what you say of their defenses is true, we can't spare the manpower for this."

"There's no guarantee the Grounders won't betray us after we're done, anyway."

At that, Anya growled beside her. Clarke pressed a hand to the woman's wrist, trying to retrain her. Anya looked at her in shock for a moment, before letting the tension in her body release. 

"It's not just our people," Clarke began. "And it's not just the Hundred that are in danger. They've been bleeding Grounders for decades. And now they have a taste of _us_. President Wallis told me that Arker blood is even more potent than Grounder. What do you think he's going to do when he realizes that there's an entire camp of us? They're a threat, and we can't take them lightly."

Anya nodded slightly beside her, and despite herself, Clarke felt a flush of pride at the motion.

"And besides," Clarke began, allowing the tone to turn cold. Hard. "I wonder how... _concerned_ the people would be over leadership that allows children to die. I think I saw Nathan Miller's father out there. I'm sure he's very concerned about his son. He's pretty high up in the guard, isn't he?"

"Clarke," Abby snapped. "Stop. The Council will discuss this."

The dismissal was clear, and Clarke nodded to Anya, who followed her out.

"Your people are foolish," Anya said, her lip twisted in disgust. "And your Commander is weak. She allows others to speak over her."

"My mother isn't a Commander," Clarke muttered. "My people don't operate like yours."

"Clarke!"

The blonde turned to see Raven hobble towards her. The brunette glared at Anya. "Can I talk to you?"

"Give us a minute," Clarke said quietly. Anya nodded slowly, casting a suspicious look towards Raven, before moving to join her people by the fence.

"What is it?" Clarke asked quietly.

Raven reached into her sleeve, drawing out a scalpel. "I turned off the fence," she said gravely. "I would go myself, but..." She motioned vaguely, harshly, towards her braced leg. "Go free Finn."

"Raven," Clarke began, her voice breaking as the mechanic thrust the weapon into her hands. 

"He did this for you," she said coldly. "Don't let him die because of it."

Clarke remembered Anya's description of Finn's impending trial. The pain of nine deaths.

Her grip tightened on the small knife, and she nodded.

Raven nodded, hobbling away.

Clarke cast a glance towards Anya, who was caught up in conversation with her people, before moving away towards an area of the fence that would be shielded from prying eyes.

She'd save Finn. She just didn't know how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone so long. I just started a new job, so I'm kind of busy. But I'm working on the Mountain's next chapter now, and hopefully I'll be able to write a little more :)
> 
> Send me some prompts if you want, but I can't say when I'll have the time to write them :)


	6. Mercies

There was no point of sneaking into the Grounder camp. The guards would spot her immediately. Instead, she marched forward, moving directly towards the large tent in the meadow.

A woman stopped her. Indra, if she recalled correctly. With the snarl, the woman held out a spear. "Sky people are not welcome here. Not _yet_." She spat the word, disgusted by the fact that they might be welcomed there anytime soon.

Clarke swallowed, her fingers shaking, hidden in her sleeve. She held back a wince when the scalpel sliced her fingertip.

"Let her pass," came the bland order. Lexa strode through her tent's entrance, hand resting gently, but firmly, on her sword. "Come, Clarke. I'm curious where Anya is."

The question was a clear challenge. The blonde chose not to rise to it.

Clarke nodded, body numb, as she followed the Commander into the structure.

Finn. He was sweet, and cute, and she hadn't felt that close to anyone since Wells.

A flash of guilt tore through her, and all she could see was her friend's blank face, staring up at her. She'd hated him for _so long_. He'd still gone down to the Ground so that she wouldn't be alone. And now he was dead. Finn would follow in his footsteps soon.

There was a rapidly growing list of people dying for her.

Finn's face as he killed the Grounders... It flitted next to his face when he spoke of peace with them. She tried to determine which one was real.

She didn't know how long she was silent, but her thoughts were disrupted when Lexa handed her a small jug filled with something warm. A tentative sip proved it was sweet, light, and slightly flowery.

"Where is Anya?" Lexa asked, her eyes furrowed under the large expanse of black war paint.

"I snuck away," Clarke admitted quietly. "I wanted to..."

"You wanted to plead for the murderer's life again," Lexa provided. Her words weren't harsh, or accusing. Just... accepting. As if she understood. "I cannot do that, Clarke. He killed innocent people."

"You're the Commander," Clarke insisted. "You could do it. Anya said that no one questions the Commander."

Lexa let out a puff of air through her nose. As close to a laugh as Clarke had ever heard from the girl. "Anya exaggerates," she whispered. "Trust me, Clarke. There are certain things I cannot go against."

Again, the blade pressed into Clarke's fingers. She twisted it around in her sleeve, trying to work out what to do.

Finn would die for her. He would die because this... _child_ , barely older than Clarke herself, wouldn't show mercy.

"You want an alliance with my people," she said, growing desperate. "In order to save your people. Show that you are willing to be lenient. That you aren't a savage, like they think."

Lexa's eyes trailed down Clarke's shirt, frowning when they reached her sleeve.

The blonde didn't need to look to know that blood was dripping slowly, steadily into the hard-packed dirt at their feet.

The brunette stepped forward slowly, standing about a foot away from Clarke.

"We are what we are," she whispered, her eyes extending a challenge.

Clarke swallowed, considering her options.

Lexa's hand pressed lightly into the blonde's shoulder, trailing down slowly until she reached her wrist. Drawing back the sleeve, exposing the blade, she drew the hand upwards, pressing the weapon firmly against her neck. "What are you, Clarke?"

Startled, the blonde stepped back, accidentally nicking the Commander's neck as she retreated, dropping the blade quickly.

There was another moment of silence, broken only by Clarke's uneven, ragged breaths. Her eyes clamped shut, avoiding Lexa's gaze, or any possible retaliation they would hold.

"Finn must die," Lexa spoke after a few minutes. "But _how_ he dies is... flexible." Clarke's eyes snapped open, shocked. The brunette looked troubled, as if she was confused why she had spoken at all. "How do your people deal with murderers?"

Clarke swallowed. "We floated them," she explained. "Let them drift into space. They'd suffocate."

The Commander looked at her blankly. "That's hardly a solution to this situation," she said blandly.

Clarke flushed at the comment. "Before that, they'd inject them with something. It made their heart stop."

Lexa frowned at the thought. "And your people... They have this?"

"We could find something," Clarke said quickly. "Give me an hour. I can find something."

Lexa took a breath, considering. "Go back to your camp. Return in an hour."

"Thank you," Clarke rasped, eyes watering. " _Thank you_."

Lexa nodded, motioning to her tent. "Hurry, Clarke of the Sky People." They left the tent together, and Lexa said something in their language to the guard. The man nodded. "Jonas will escort you."

\---

They cleared the gate when the screaming started. Clarke tried to rush back, but the Grounded stopped her.

"No!" Clarke screamed. "She said-- She--"

Anya appeared behind her, wrestling her out of Jonas' hands.

"Where is her tent?" the woman demanded of someone out of Clarke's sight. "She will not see this."

Clarke struggled against the woman's grip, but it was pointless. As she was dragged into the Ark's ruinous remnants, she saw Raven collapse arm outstretched uselessly towards the meadow.

"Get her," she begged. "Don't let her see."

Anya seemed to understand, ordering Jonas in quick, harsh words.

Clarke let herself be led, moving backwards as her eyes remained trained on the meadow where a boy was tied to a pole.

Another notch on her belt. Another child who died for her.

\---

Anya fiddled with the lock for a moment at Clarke's request.

She knew someone would come eventually. Her mother. _Raven_. She couldn't face any of them. Not yet.

Her eyes drew to Anya, glaring. The woman was a living, breathing surrogate for her rage. Lexa might not be there, but her general was.

"She said," Clarke started darkly. "That he could be executed the Sky Person way. He wouldn't have to suffer."

"The Commander must uphold the laws of the Ground," Anya said dismissively. "If we gave easy deaths to criminals, we would have nothing but monsters among us."

"You already do," Clarke snapped.

Anya glanced back at her. "Your lover comes into a defenseless village and pens out people like animals, slaughtering them when he is done, and you call us monsters?"

Clarke flushed. "He isn't like that," she snapped. "He was tryin--"

"To save you, yes, I know," Anya snapped. "But anyone but a fool can recognize an elder from a warrior. A child from a _gona_. Do you excuse his actions because of his motive? Or do you adopt them as your burden because the motive was you?"

Clarke could respond, she simply shook her head and fell onto her bed, leaning against the wall beside it. She drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around them and dropping her forehead.

"Lincoln said the boy was the one to request the meeting on the bridge," Anya said after a moment. 

Clarke waited for her to continue, but finally nodded into her legs when it became clear the Grounder expected an answer.

"It was brave. To come. All of you were brave." A pause. "Even if you attacked us."

"You had archers in the _trees_ , Anya," Clarke said, looking up incredulously. "Jasper saw a man aim a _spear_ at me."

The woman shrugged. "I never said you were smart." She smirked slightly. "Never expect us to come anywhere unarmed, Sky girl."

Clarke let out a startled laugh. "I'll keep that in mind," she said dryly.

Her eyes trailed to the door when they lapsed into silence. "How long will... How long until..." Her mouth couldn't form the words.

"Until the sun rises," Anya said stiffly.

Clarke nodded, leaning back onto the wall and staring blankly ahead.

After a moment, Anya strode forward, sitting next to her, and mimicking her position. Her hand crept out, pressing into Clarke's, gripping her tightly.

They remaining in silent vigil until the morning sun peered through her cracked window. Until movement resumed outside her door.

Until Raven came, voice slurred, as she screamed and cried and was finally taken away by someone with a gentle voice.

They waited there until Abby came to call them to a meeting.

\---

"Finn will be burned with his victims at Tondc," Lexa announced.

Kane, of all people, protested. Clarke cut in, accepting the offer.

Finn was dead, there was no use holding onto sentimentality. She didn't meet the Commander's eyes, and didn't notice the young Grounder doing just the same.

"Choose your attendance," Lexa said quietly, and Clarke nodded.

Retreating quickly, Clarke steered away from her mother and Kane, moving towards the hunched over figure and the prone body.

"Raven," she whispered.

The mechanic whipped around, glaring through teary eyes. "You could have saved him," she snarled.

Finn's body was, mercifully, covered, wrapped tightly in a burlap material. Still, hints of red stained through.

"We're going to cremate him in Tondc," Clarke whispered. "I thought you would like to be there."

"I've always been there for him," the girl snapped, standing. She advanced quickly, and the blonde stumbled back on instinct. "At least one of us can say that," Raven snarled, eyes sharp. "Send someone else to get me when we leave. I don't want to see you more than I have to."

Clarke nodded stiffly, forcing herself not to turn and follow the girl as she hobbled away.

"Grief is painful," she heard Anya said beside her, jumping at the sudden noise. 

"Break a twig or something," the blonde snapped.

Anya smiled slightly at the thought. "She does not mean what she says."

"What does it matter to you?" Clarke asked, turning to stare towards Camp Jaha. Trying to ignore the body that lay behind her. Peering into her back.

"I've decided I enjoy your company," Anya said, shrugging. "But I am not fond of your sulking. So, finishing mourning quickly."

The words seemed harsh, but Clarke saw the undercurrent of concern in Anya's eyes. 

"I'll get right on that," Clarke said, twisting her lip wryly.

At that moment, Lexa exited her tent, moving forward quickly towards a ground of generals.

Clarke followed her movement with a glare.

"Anya!" the Commander called, motioning sharply towards the group.

"I will see you when we depart, Sky girl," Anya said quietly, striding quickly towards the Grounder group.

Sighing, Clarke moved towards her mother and Kane, trying not to listen to their platitudes and well-wishes.

A body was lifted onto a cart, and Clarke forced herself to continue moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh nooooes, Raven hates Clarke and Finn is totes dead (jk no one likes Finn). I hope you liked it. If you have any questions or comments or prompts, don't hesitate to send them. Side note: If you've sent them to my Tumblr, I haven't ignored them, I just want them in one place. I'll try to get around to them this week :)
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter, I'll try to update the Mountain this week, too.


	7. Tondc

Tondc's welcoming was anything but warm. A few recognized Clarke from the attack, remembering that it was she that Finn had been after.

They began to growl at their Commander in their language, harsh, loud words. Protesting the alliance that was about to unfold.

Lexa dispatched a particular most prolific rouser quickly, using clipped orders directed at her right-hand man.

Clarke pushed through the line quickly, gripping the girl's shoulder. "Commander, stop him. They'll blame us for this, too." Lexa's jaw flexed as she considered it.

Gustus launched a particularly harsh kick to the man's stomach.

" _Lexa_ ," Clarke whispered desperately. "Please."

" _Em plenti_ ," Lexa said sharply. Gustus straightened, backing up to the leader's side swiftly. "The Sky People march with us, now. Those who stand in the way of that will be put to death." Once the crowd began to splinter away, their purpose shattered, Lexa moved forward, paying Clarke no heed.

\---

The poison in the mug was a shock to everyone.

Lexa's eyes burned with rage as she pressed the Clarke roughly against the wall, fist gripping her collar. "I see what you are, now, Clarke," she snarled. "A knife was too brave a weapon for you."

Clarke shook her head desperately, opening her mouth to protest.

"I was a fool to trust any of your people."

Shoving her away, Lexa left, accompanied by her remaining guards.

Clarke sprinted forward, stopping the last. "Anya, we didn't do this. You have to know. We didn't."

Anya's eyes trailed back to Raven's facing form. "I know you did not, Clarke," she whispered. "But I can't say the same for your people."

The Grounders locked them in the hall for hours. Clarke interrogated Raven nearly every minute of their captivity until she was positive that the mechanic had had nothing to do with the attack.

Indra came down, two men behind her gripping Raven's arms and dragging her out.

"Stop! Indra, we didn't do this!"

The warrior glared, looking at the blonde with a mouth curled in disgust. "Your people have an hour to leave. After that... we will kill you all. This alliance is over."

Her people moved around her, not wishing to push their luck on the Grounder's mercy. Bellamy lingered for a moment, as if waiting for Clarke's choice.

Finn's form, hallucination or sign or both, smirked at her from the overturned table, leaning against it. Clarke frowned as she followed his gaze.

Panic gripped her as she gripped the device as pushed past a confused Bellamy.

\---

Lexa had given Clarke her guest room.

She'd given Raven her own room, along with all of the healers they had in the city. Clarke shivered as she heard the pained moans from the next room.

A gentle knock took her out of her thoughts.

Lexa walked into the room slowly, nodding to the blonde and shutting the door quietly.

"I wish to... apologize," she muttered. "My people and I acted rashly."

Clarke's eyes remained on the wall separating her from her friend.

"How long have you known Gustus?" she whispered.

There was a moment of silence. "I have known him since I was born," came the flat reply. It was so masterfully drained of emotion that Clarke had to turn to the speaker. Lexa's eyes were trained to the ground, her arms crossed professionally behind her.

"Why didn't you pardon him?"

Lexa looked shocked at the question. "It is my duty as Commander to punish the guilty."

Clarke nodded.

"Why did you... Why did you go back on your word?"

Lexa didn't speak for a few moments. "I don't think you wish to hear, Clarke."

"No. No, I really do."

Lexa tipped her head to the side slightly. "Maybe someday. But not now."

Clarke grit her teeth, but didn't say anything.

"Don't ask for my forgiveness," she finally said after what seemed like hours of silence. "Ask for Raven's."

"I tried," Lexa admitted. "She threw a candle at me and called me a word I did not recognize. I suspect it was not a compliment."

Clarke let out a dry laugh. "No, I don't think so, either."

"She was very strong," Lexa admitted. "She would have lasted the entire day, had you not shown us the truth."

"You aren't mad that I made you kill your friend?"

"No one made me kill Gustus but Gustus," Lexa said, shaking her head. She shifted awkwardly, glancing around. "Is this room to your liking? If there is a problem, I'm sure I can find--"

"It's fine," Clarke cut in, leaning back against her pillows. "Where are you sleeping? Raven and I have stolen all of your rooms. The Sky People are all camping out in your mess hall."

"I'll be staying with Anya," Lexa said, a small flash settling into her eyes. "Thank you for your concern."

Clarke shrugged awkwardly. "I... I'd like to go to sleep now, if that's alright."

"Yes, of course," Lexa said, straightening her posture again. "I will see you in the strategy meeting, tomorrow."

Clarke nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the warrior as she left.

Despite her words, Clarke didn't think she'd get any sleep that night.

\---

Anya moved the threads expertly into their knotted formation, absentmindedly crafting a bracelet, as she did as a child.

The door quickly opened and closed, and Lexa turned, nodding sharply to her.

"What did the Sky Girl say?" Anya asked, amused that the Commander had tried to hide it from her.

Lexa glared at her slightly. "I am unsure if there remains to be ill-will. She does not seem to hold any further grudge."

Anya moved her threads off of her lap, sliding off the bed and moving towards the girl.

Lexa sat down on the edge of the bed, sighing deeply. "Did you... Did you suspect Gustus' intentions? Was I blind?"

"Gustus was always loyal," Anya whispered. "No one could have known."

Lexa shook her head, denying the logic of it.

Anya pursed her lips in annoyance, but sighed. Striding in front of the girl, she kneeled, unbuckling her shoulder armor, dropping it to the side. Without it, she looked so much younger.

So much more like the girl Anya had first started training when she herself was barely more than a child.

"What would you like me to do?" Anya whispered, looking at the girl before her reverently.

Not because she was her Commander. The respect she held for the girl on account of her housing the Spirit was completely separate from this.

Anya lifted her hand, drawing back a lock of hair that had escaped the now-loose braids. She let her fingers linger on the girl's cheek, and Lexa leaned into the gesture.

"I want to forget it. Him. Her. Everything."

Anya smiled slightly, nodding. "I can do that."

Without another word, she snaked her arms underneath Lexa's thighs, lifting her as she stood. Immediately, the girl's legs wrapped themselves around the taller woman's torso.

Anya got onto the bed with her knees, inching forward until she dropped the Commander in the center of the bed, kneeling above her with a grin. "I can definitely do that."

The woman began to unzip her jacket as the Commander did the same, both shedding their clothes at uneven rates. Once, Anya reached below, holding Lexa's bare back up so the girl could remove her shirt and undershirt.

"We must be quiet," Lexa warned. "We are not as remote as we are used to."

"It's not _me_ you need to tell that to," Anya teased. She felt a fluttering of elation. She wasn't like this with anyone. He stoic demeanor never faltered outside of this room. 

Except with Clarke. Rarely. Occasionally.

Frowning, she purged the thought away. Lexa was there. Lexa was waiting.

Lexa was hungry.

Anya leaned down quickly, pressing open-mouthed kisses to the girl's torso, moving rapidly upwards. She felt the Commander's heartbeat quicken. Her breathing was labored.

With a smirk, Anya's hand slid slowly up, cupping a breast. "It's been too long, Lexa," she whispered. 

The girl gasped. So few dared say her name anymore. Each syllable was euphoric from the woman's mouth.

_There are other things that mouth can do that are more so, _her mind supplied traitorously.__

__Trying futilely to contain the moan, Lexa gripped the woman's hair and drew her head upwards towards where she needed it._ _

__And a few minutes later, she led the woman _down_ where she needed it._ _

__\---_ _

__Lexa tried to catch her breath as Anya returned to her side. The general looked far too pleased with herself. She'd have to wipe the self-satisfied look off her face, soon._ _

__"I have a question," Anya said quietly._ _

__Lexa sighed, closing her eyes and leaning further into the woman. "Will it make me kick you out?"_ _

__"Perhaps," Anya said, laughing. "And perhaps if you do, I will find a bed elsewhere. I hear the Sky Girl's bed is empty this night."_ _

__Lexa glared up at her. "Ask your question, or you'll be sharing Clarke's bed every night."_ _

___That did not sound as threatening as it was intended._ _ _

__Anya seemed to share the thought, smirking. "I might take you up on that."_ _

__"Ask your question," Lexa groaned. The aftershocks on the pleasure she'd just received were fading rapidly with each word._ _

__Anya sobered. "Why did you lie to the Sky Girl? About Finn?"_ _

__Lexa sighed, her lip curling distastefully. She moved the blankets off of her body, moving towards the small chest containing her clothes she'd had moved when she gave away her room._ _

__Anya sat up, observing her as she dressed quietly._ _

__"It was a mercy," Lexa muttered quietly._ _

__"I hardly consider what happened to the boy a mercy," Anya muttered._ _

__"Not for the boy," Lexa snapped. "The boy deserved what he received and more. It was a mercy for Clarke."_ _

__Anya's eyebrows raised in shock._ _

__Lexa sighed shutting the chest forcefully and sitting atop it. Her jaw worked as she tried to think of her next words._ _

__"The boy was going to die. He was going to die in our way. The only thing I could control was whether Clarke blamed herself for not being able to stop it... Or..."_ _

__"Or to blame you for lying?" Anya asked. Lexa nodded sharply. "Did you think of the ramifications this would have on our diplomacy with the Sky People?"_ _

__"The Sky People will be lucky to survive the winter without us," Lexa snapped. "They are invaders. I am showing a mercy by not destroying them."_ _

__"Why give another mercy? To a girl you barely know?"_ _

__The Commander frowned, looking away. "Loss is easier when you have someone else to blame," she muttered. "The girl is smart. She will not let her anger towards me get in the way of her people's safety. If she does, she is not a leader."_ _

__Anya nodded slowly, leaning back again. "I guess we'll see."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I disappeared forever. I'm going to try very hard to not be a total douchenozzle and update a little bit more regularly.
> 
> Tell me what you thought of Lexa / Anya :)


	8. Strategy and Impulse

Clarke didn't understand anything.

The Grounders were enigmas. All of them.

It seemed so easy, when they were enemies. 

Before they were allies, the Grounders were savages. The Grounders acted rashly. The Grounders killed without question.

After she became closer, she realized their methodology was so much more complex.

They were vicious, yes. They were driven by their raw emotions. Glory seemed paramount.

But they were logical, as well. Even Lexa. 

Especially Lexa.

Her generals clustered around the maps on the table, peering down and muttering to themselves words she couldn't recognize. Clarke and a few other Sky People--Kane, of course, and a few of his guards--tried to decipher the strange keys and legends used on the map, failing when they realized there were no words, just roughly drawn symbols.

Lexa cleared her throat and silence fell over the tent. The Grounder generals straightened, eyes falling unwaveringly upon their leader.

The girl pressed her finger to the map slowly, turning to the Sky People. "This is where we are," she said, as if understanding their confusion. Her finger slid across the weathered paper. "This is where your 'Camp Jaha' is. And this is the Mountain."

The graphic that lay under her finger was far from cryptic. It was a jagged triangle surrounded by a red circle. Within the circle, a skull was drawn.

"This is the border between us and the Mountain Men. They will attack us no matter where we are, but if we enter this circle, they will kill us."

Clarke was struck by how commonplace the statement seemed, that the Mount Weather soldiers could attack anywhere, anytime. None of the Grounders blinked. They lived in constant vigilance against the unseen enemy so long that they did not comprehend it was strange. 

"I can supply the army. We can gather them anywhere outside this circle and not seem suspicious. Our tribes go to war often. But as soon as we enter this circle..."

Anya spoke up from beside the Commander. "You know of the burning cloud, Clarke?"

Clarke looked up, startled at being called upon. "The Acid Fog. Yes."

Anya nodded sharply despite their differing terms. "If you enter this circle, they release it. Without fail. No man or beast can survive it."

"So we need to find a way to disable it," Clarke realized, biting her lip. She turned to her people. "Someone get Raven. She'll know more about this than anyone."

Kane cut in gently. "Is that wise, Clarke? She's injured."

"If we can't guarantee the fog goes down, there's nothing more we can do here. We need her expertise."

Kane hesitated, but nodded, turning to one of his people and nodding.

When she turned back to the table, Clarke realized that Lexa was observing her closely, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Let us assume we can remove the cloud," Anya cut through the silence. "For now, at least." She pointed to the icon of the mountain. "Clarke and I barely escaped the compound alive. How can we move an army unseen?"

Clarke reached into her pocket, having prepared for this. "Mount Weather has limited resources," she began. "And limited space. They have less numbers than us." She pressed the newly drawn map onto the table. "When I was in there, they gave me a map. I memorized it as best I could. We might be able to cut their generators and force them into one area. Then their weaponry won't have an advantage."

"Anya says they need our blood to breathe our air," one of the generals grunted, crossing his arms. "Why not open the doors and be done with it?"

"There are children in there," Clarke protested immediately. "Innocent people. We're here to rescue our people. Not commit genocide."

The general scoffed, turning to Lexa. "Heda, _jus drein jus daun._ They have lived above us for too long. We must avenge the dead."

Lexa frowned at the words. "Revenge solves nothing, Quint. The dead are gone." Her eyes flickered to Clarke's for a moment, pausing. "We must focus on the living."

Clarke turned away, suddenly unable to keep eye contact with the girl.

The tent opened and Raven stumbled in behind a Arker guard.

"Nice of you to invite me to your war party, guys. Did anyone bring snacks?"

Clarke restrained herself from moving forward and forcing the girl to sit. Raven didn't trust her. Wouldn't trust her. Not for a long time.

The brunette glanced at Clarke, pausing before casting a tremulous smile towards her. "Someone want to grab me a chair? I did just get slice-and-diced the other day. Thanks for stopping that, by the way, Commander."

Lexa bowed her head in acknowledgement, clearly not understanding the sarcasm in the statement. Raven smirked sitting down when a chair was provided. "Cool. So, what do you need me to work on?"

The meeting continued. Raven was told the details, and her mind began tinkering away.

"Wick. I'm going to need that dumbass. He's not as smart as me, but, you know, two minds and all that jazz."

"We'll send someone to Camp Jaha immediately," Kane said, nodding.

"We will continue this meeting afterwards," Lexa said, nodding. "No use planning an attack that might not be able to take place." She turned to her generals. "Stay in the city. Runners will tell you when the next meeting will take place." Turning to the Sky People, she said, "Clarke? May I speak to you?"

The tent emptied quickly. Kane lingered, as if unsure whether he should leave Clarke with the Commander. However, at her nod, he finally departed as well.

"Please, sit," Lexa said.

The tent was empty save for her, Lexa, and Anya.

The two Grounders were in a fast conversation in the foreign language. Anya nodded after a moment, departing.

Lexa sat down across from the blonde, eyeing her cautiously. 

"Anya has explained that my... My actions might cause distrust between us. I want to insure that this will not bleed into our diplomatic affairs. What happened with the boy was not an attack on your people. It was merely righting a wrong."

Clarke grit her teeth at the words. "If you lie in that, Lexa, what else will you lie about?"

The Commander leaned back, blinking. "Make no mistake, Clarke. This alliance is not built on trust. It is not built on loyalty or respect. It is built on necessity. You and your people have information that will help my people. You will help me reclaim the lost from the Mountain. You will help us live without fear. But we do not trust you." There was a moment of pause. "Clarke, you should not trust me. I will protect my people. At all costs."

"Is that why you killed Finn like that? To prove you aren't to be trusted?"

"Finn was always doomed to that death, Clarke. You saw Gustus. No one is above our law. Not a friend of mine, or a lover of you. His death was not diplomatic. That is what I am telling you."

"Then why would you promise me?" Clarke asked, exasperated. "You told me he could die the Arker way, Lexa. Why would you do that to me? To _him_?"

Lexa looked away, shaking her head. "There was never a question in how he would die, Clarke."

"Then why give me hope?" Clarke asked, voice breaking at the last word despite her efforts.

Lexa turned to her in shock, eyes flying across the blonde girl's face. "Clarke--"

"Why... Why send me to the camp? I should have been there. I should have stayed with him. I should ha--" Clarke tried to control her breathing, but she couldn't. Despite her efforts to calm herself, her eyes began to leak and she couldn't breathe. Or she was breathing too much. She couldn't tell.

Before she could tell what was happening, Lexa was kneeling at her side, forcing her face to turn towards her. "Breathe, Clarke. Breathe."

Clarke tried to fight her off, but her weak attempts to strangled by the arms of the Commander winding around her, drawing them close.

She didn't know how long it was until she could breathe. Lexa was rocking them gently. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the brunette's shoulder, trying not to let herself think.

Finn's murderer. She was being held by his murderer. 

With a jump, she forced them apart, looking down with shame. "I--"

"I lost someone," Lexa cut in, gritting her teeth as she spoke. "I lost someone. Someone close to me. As Finn was to you. She was kidnapped by an enemy who thought she knew my secrets. She was killed." 

Clarke furrowed her eyebrows, trying to understand why she was being told this. The Commander was stoic. The Commander was cold. The Commander was an enigma who did not share her thoughts or history with anyone.

"She was tortured, and killed, and beheaded." Lexa said the words slowly, as if reliving them. "She would be alive if she had not been mine. The only thing that kept me from dying inside with her was hate. Hate towards her kidnappers. Towards her killers. Towards her guards who let it happen." She paused. "Finn was always going to die, Clarke. He was always going to die in our way. You would not have been able to sway any change."

Clarke licked her lips, trying to wrap her mind across the barrage of words being sent towards her. "You wanted me to hate... you? Why?"

Lexa shook her head. "I don't care if you hate me, Clarke. Honestly, you should. We are enemies before we are allies. But I did not want you to hate yourself for this. There was nothing you could have done." She paused, looking down. "You have the potential to be a great leader. I have seen you. I have heard of your tactics. You fended off three hundred of my best warriors with fifty children. Even if you are my enemy, I would not want that greatness to be cowed by something you had no control over."

Clarke's eyebrows furrowed. "We... You don't know me, Lexa. Why would you try and make me feel better about anything?"

The Commander chuckled, stepping more fully away from the girl and standing. "Not everything needs a reason, Clarke," she said. "It was something I could do. It was something that, at the time, I didn't think of repercussions for. But... Anya explained that you might... You might use that hatred towards me and take it out on my people. I cannot risk that."

"There was something I could have done," Clarke whispered. "I could have... I could have killed you. Like I came there to."

Lexa didn't seem surprised at the admission. She'd seen the blade and it didn't take a genius to figure out the intent. 

"You could have," she nodded. "And you would have joined Finn on the pole. Believe it or not, Clarke, but it takes more than an untrained girl with a small, ineffective dagger to kill me."

"It was a scalpel," Clarke muttered stubbornly. "I could have nicked something important."

Ignoring her, Lexa continued. "And even if you killed me, my warriors would have captured you before you left my tent. And without my words to calm them, they would have destroyed your camp without mercy. Believe me, Clarke. There was no course of action open to you."

"I could have killed Finn," she challenged. Lexa's eyebrows rose in shock. "I could have saved him from the pain of it all."

"Yes," Lexa said, nodding slowly. "And I might have let you leave the clearing alive if you had. But that weight would not have been any less than the one you bear now."

Clarke sighed, leaning back in her chair. Lexa took a step back. "I will see you at the next meeting, Clarke of the Sky People. I hope you will think on this."

After she was gone, Clarke stayed in the tent for a few minutes. 

Grounders were enigmas. Not always passionate. Not always heartless.

Not always logical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, look at me, not disappearing for months like last time. Aren't y'all proud?
> 
> So I'm thinking that my next sexy-time story is going to be Lexa and Anya, and it will be a oneshot, or maybe a tiny collection, or their sexy times before and leading up to meeting Clarke. How do you guys feel about that?
> 
> Anyway, tell me what you think about the chapter. Do you think they're bonding too soon? I'm just craving some OT3 action, you know?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all liked it. This is going to be multi-chaptered, but I'm not sure how often I'll update it. 
> 
> Feel free to send me some prompts, guys.


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